SHIFTING TO THE GAP
Jim Crane’s search for a new manager appears in its final days. The Astros owner said last week he hoped to narrow a wide list of candidates to “three, maybe four” by this weekend before making a decision “early this week.” • Crane claimed that managing the 2020 Astros is “not going to be really difficult.” “You just have to fill in the (lineup) card,” he said. Hiring a manager before picking a general manager is unusual, but Crane is combating an extraordinary circumstance. The team reports to spring training in less than three weeks. A leader is more urgently required. • Crane’s focus seems more centered on a candidate who can handle the pressure of shepherding a contending team through what promises to be an avalanche of criticism and contentious road environments. Prior managerial experience is not mandatory, Crane said, but five of the eight men who’ve interviewed possess it. • The interview process, according to Crane, has been a “three- or four-pronged approach.” He’s allowing what remains of the Astros’ analytically savvy baseball operations team ample involvement. How much Crane relies on their input could determine the eventual choice. • “I do the preliminary and I do the clean-up,” Crane said last week. “We kind of compare notes. I’ve learned from a long time that you learn a lot if four or five people talk to a key candidate. You get a lot more information. That’s the way we’ve been doing it.”
BUCK SHOWALTER
Managerial record: 1,551-1,517
Past managerial stops: New York Yankees (1992-95), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Texas Rangers (2003-06), Baltimore Orioles (2010-18)
Why he would fit: Aside from his onfield accomplishments — 77 wins per season and three Manager of the Year titles — he is no stranger to handling circus-type atmospheres. He coached and managed the Yankees during the George Steinbrenner days. From 1992-93, he managed the club while Steinbrenner was in the middle of a three-year suspension. Showalter would afford stability in a place that currently has none.
What causes concern: Showalter’s never fully embraced the analytical era to which his sport has shifted. The Astros, obviously, remain at the forefront of the movement. Showalter’s ability to show he can jive with such a style would bolster his candidacy.
JOHN GIBBONS
Managerial record: 793-789 Past managerial stops: Toronto Blue
Jays (2004-08, 2013-18)
Why he would fit: Aside from Joe Espada, Gibbons may have more knowledge of the current Astros clubhouse than any candidate. While with Toronto, he managed current Astros relievers Joe Smith, Joe Biagini and Roberto Osuna along with utilityman Aledmys Diaz. Gibbons’ time in with the Blue Jays was not astounding — just two playoff appearances in 11 seasons — but he formed a tight bond with players and fans.
What causes concern: Gibbons has managed in only one organization. He brings some of the same analytically based questions as Showalter but could be open to change. In October, Gibbons told The Athletic, “I don’t think there’s as much flexibility as there used to be,” given the advent of advanced statistics and how it dictates in-game moves.
WILL VENABLE
Managerial record: N/A
Major league coaching experience:
Chicago Cubs first-base coach (2018-19), third-base coach (present)
Why he would fit: In many ways, Venable is this era’s quintessential managerial candidate. He garnered interviews from the Cubs and Giants this offseason. Not far removed from his playing days — he retired in 2016 — he understands the way in which the sport is advancing analytically. That he graduated from Princeton and has also held front-office roles only bolsters his résumé.
What causes concern: Venable, 37, has hardly any major league coaching experience — he joined the Cubs staff only in 2018. Whether he could handle a clubhouse filled with established veterans and a team favored to win its division — along with a seven-month media crush and expected invectives in other stadiums — is a legitimate question.
DUSTY BAKER
Managerial record: 1,863-1,636
Past managerial stops: San Francisco Giants (1993-2002), Chicago Cubs (2003-06), Cincinnati Reds (2008-13), Washington Nationals (2016-17)
Why he would fit: Baker is a no-nonsense stabilizer, respected around the game for his acumen and successes with four clubs. From 2013-17, he averaged 95 wins a season. That he guided the Giants during Barry Bonds’ 73-home run season in 2001, handling the many questions and speculation that surrounded it, could bode well for this Astros team in crisis.
What causes concern: Baker is 70, the oldest of the eight known candidates. He nonetheless seems reinvigorated by the challenge Houston would present. His most recent managerial stop came in a Nationals franchise that’s not the most analytically inclined. Whether he would embrace the Astros’ reliance on analysis could bolster Baker’s candidacy.
JOE ESPADA
Managerial record: N/A
Major league coaching experience:
Miami Marlins third-base coach (201013), New York Yankees third-base coach (2015-17), Astros bench coach (2018present)
Why he would fit: Espada would afford the most seamless transition of any candidate. He’s been with the Astros for two seasons, knows the clubhouse’s disposition better than most and has pre-existing relationships with everyone.
What causes concern: Espada came onto the Astros’ coaching staff prior to the 2018 season, one in which Major League Baseball determined the team electronically stole signs. How much Espada knew of the wrongdoing — or whether he even knew about it at all — is unclear. But Crane preached moving on with a “clean slate,” making it difficult to rationalize promoting Espada to manager.
JEFF BANISTER
Managerial record: 325-313 Past managerial stops: Texas Rangers
(2015-18)
Why he would fit: Banister’s success can’t be disputed. He won two American League West titles in his first two seasons with the Rangers. Though hometown allegiance means little in the grand scheme, Banister grew up in La Marque and is a University of Houston product. Managing the Astros — the first team for which he was a fan — would be something of a dream job.
What causes concern: Banister’s downfall in Arlington was abrupt, due in part to a gruff, hard-nosed personality that began to grate on players. “I should have allowed my ability to smile in tough times and softer eyes for challenging moments,” Banister told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after he was fired. “That is something I know. I am talking about individually. People do need to see that.”
EDUARDO PEREZ
Managerial record: N/A
Major league coaching experience:
Miami Marlins hitting coach (2011-12), Astros bench coach (2013)
Why he would fit: After serving one season as Bo Porter’s bench coach,
Perez is at least somewhat familiar with Crane. His work as an ESPN analyst gives Perez a working knowledge of how to handle a crush of media likely to follow the team this season. Being bilingual is an asset the Astros have always valued, too. He finished as a finalist for the New York Mets managerial job this winter.
What causes concern: Perez’s philosophy would be a mystery. His only managerial experience comes from a few seasons in Puerto Rico. Only Jose Altuve remains from the 2013 team Perez was a part of, so his clubhouse familiarity would be limited. Handing this ready-towin roster to someone with so much unknown could be a serious risk.
BRAD AUSMUS
Managerial record: 386-422 Past managerial stops: Detroit Tigers (2014-2017), Los Angeles Angels (2019)
Why he would fit: Ausmus has familiarity with Astros ace Justin Verlander from his time in Detroit. Though his tenure was forgettable, Ausmus embraced analytics during his one season with the Angels.
What causes concern: That Ausmus has been fired from two managerial jobs in three years does not inspire confidence. He inherited a loaded Tigers team in 2014 and did not win a playoff game. He had the 2019 AL MVP and won 72 times. Placing the shortcomings on his shoulders is disingenuous. But Ausmus’ association with the Tyler Skaggs tragedy and subsequent investigation will present a problem. Fair or not, Ausmus’ reputation with Astros fans took a hit last year, too, for how the Angels handled retaliation against Jake Marisnick.